HRMINI

:evil:  :evil:  :evil: I am so peeved right now that I can barely see straight!!! :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

Schultze had his 10K oil change & inspection today.

Picked him up around 5:30-ish. 

Gave the gal behind the check-in desk the key to the loaner.  They IMMEDIATELY wanted me to fill out the rating sheet.  I said that I was going to wait until I got my keys and could check the car out.

They wouldn't even have a porter bring Schultze up until AFTER the rating sheet was filled out!!!   :evil: 

I filled it out and then used the comment section to write (paraphrased):

"Frank's customer service was excellent.  I refuse to comment on the maintenance service until I have a chance to inspect my car.  Which I can't do because they won't bring me my car until I fill out this form!"

I give it to the gal and then she calls up a porter to inspect the loaner.

I watch as not one, but TWO porters inspect the loaner top-to-bottom, inside & out!  WTF???!!!   :evil:  :evil:

The two porters were calling in every-frickin-little-thing...as they found it...over the radio to make sure it had been notated when I took possession of the loaner this morning.

And before anyone suggests that a new porter was being trained...I can assure you that WASN'T the case...the two porters have been there ever since I brought Schultze in to get his bonnet stripes installed a week after I brought him home!

Now...thinking that I was being singled out, I watched as the next Cooper loaner was being inspected.  One of the porters who checked in my loaner inspected it by simply doing a VERY quick walk-around and a quick glance to the interior.   :?

I asked the gal why two people were inspecting the loaner when that's never been done before...she said "that's what we have to do with Cooper loaners."  um...okay.

Ok...that's not right...maybe it's a new policy...but it gets better!

ANOTHER Cooper loaner came in--did two porters do the check-in inspection?  No, of course not!

A beemer loaner came in next...SAME THING:  one porter with a very quick, barely glanced at, inspection!


So I finally get to be reunited with Schultze.  The porter who brought me Schultze didn't even do a walk-around with me like they normally do!

Let me backtrack a bit...

After I had filled out the rating sheet they wanted me to sign-off on the warranty sheet so MINIUSA could process payment to CF.

The total amount to be paid by MINIUSA:  $914.49!!!

First itemized line stated the oil service was just under $300.
Yes...three-hundred-dollars!!!   :shock:

I make the comment that I'm sure glad I don't have to pay THAT out of pocket...the gal tells me:  "Oh, that price is the discount we get from MINIUSA.  If you wanted to bring your MINI in for an oil change, it'd be more because you wouldn't get the discount.

 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

As a "courtesy" the seat cover was replaced.  The lumps are still there.
Cost to replace the seat cover?  $400-something.

I asked if I could get a copy of the itemized sheet.
No.
May I ask why not?
It's not meant for public information.
She said she could write the info on my copy...however, instead of the itemized dollar amounts, she simply put the total dollar amount.
 :roll:

So...I finally get to leave with Schultze. 
Get onto 264 westbound when it starts getting windy. 
Got to Campostella exit and it started thunderin' & lightenin'!
Got REALLY dark, REALLY quick...raining cats & dogs headed into the downtown tunnel...so I go to turn on my front/rear fogs.
NADA.
NOTHING.

Mind you, my fogs were working yesterday when I accidentally turned them on. 

Called Frank and left a voicemail message telling him that the fogs aren't working.

The rain has finally subsided somewhat and I'm going to go out there and check the fuses in the driver footwell.

All this "extra attention" from CF didn't start until the settlement for the damages done to Schultze were finalized...I just KNEW that everything would be put under a microscope from that point on!!!

Oh...and the results of the temp. issue inspection?

Nothing was wrong.  Thermostat, all sensors & gauges working properly and within MINI "specs".

Gee...what exactly WERE the readings?  What is the spec range?  How am I to know if the reading is closest to either end of unacceptable or in the middle?

I'm NOT feelin' the love from CF right now....

So on the ratings sheet, were there separate sections for the SA ratings and the service department ratings?  If there weren't, then the service department probably couldn't care less what you wrote in the comments section.  You could probably copy the Gettysburg Address in the comments section for all they care, as long as the ratings are filled in.

As for the thermostats, temperatures and gauges being "in spec", aren't you the one whose temperature gauge is permanently stuck at the middle position?  I can't believe they could call that "within spec" with a straight face.

Unfrickinbelievable Erica!  My tolerance for that treatment would be straight up zero.  My suggestion, write a nice letter to the service manager, the head of CF, and CC MiniUSA.  Oh, and by nice I mean scathing and full of poison and venom. :evil:

Yup, that'd be me!

Hubby was a Navy nuke (USS New York City) and he wants me to call them tomorrow to get the actual readings and the spec range.  He also thinks the engine bay is much too hot!

I need to get a nice aftermarket auxiliary gauge for temp & oil pressure.  Someone told me about a system that plugs into the same slot as the OBD reader...it supposedly provides LOTS of detailed info.

Do you (or anyone else) know of such a device & where I can get it?

My tolerance is absolutely zero.  

My hubby will tell anyone who asks that I have my moments of poison & venom.  I could walk through a radioactive fallout cloud and be STRONGER for it!   :twisted:

I just got back in from testing all the fuses.  All of 'em are good.

Tried the fogs again...still no go.

Then I looked at the turn signal stalk...somehow someone changed it from the very bottom setting to a different setting.  I put it back to the bottom setting and my fogs worked!

Go figure!

Do you (or anyone) know the specs for the front/rear brake pads?  

They attached the maintenance checklist to my service copy and here are the readings:

LF: 6/5 (they're written on top of each other...not sure if the final recording is supposed to be 5 or 6...SOMETHING else to call Frank about tomorrow!)

LR:  6

RF:  6

RR: 6

Here's an observation I've made each time I've washed or between-wash-QD'd Schultze:

The LF & RR wheels have the MOST brake dust on them!  I would've at least expected the front wheels to have the most brake dust, but the RR wheel has MORE brake dust on it than the RF wheel...any possible explanation?

Well, the excessive brake dust on the RR wheel could be a symptom of the RR brake dragging, but since your pad thicknesses are consistent, that's probably not the case.

If you're still concerned about your underhood temperatures, go to the tool department at Sears and ask for a "non-contact infrared thermometer".  I think they're about $45, and it has a little laser that you point at whatever you want the temperature for, and it gives you a digital readout.  They're very accurate, but it's best if you aim them at something black for the most-accurate possible reading.  If your underhood temps are really in the 250-300F range after the car's been parked for hours, I think something's seriously wrong.

I'd say you could borrow mine, but *someone* left it a little to close to her kiln while she was firing some glass a few years ago and turned it into a piece of modern art... :o

HEY!!!! It still works ... sort of ... if you understand Kilingon ... and don't mind it being anywhere from 30 to 200 degrees off .... lol .... sorry baby.... an honorable sacrifice in the name of art!


Love,
R.

I wonder if Autozone or Pep Boys (or someplace similar) would have that tool available as part of their loaner program?

So the foglight issue was operator error?

$300 for an oil change seems excessive. Are you sure it wasn't $300 for the 10,000 mile inspection?

Erika, Fuzzy bought a thermometer gun when he was troubleshooting our under floor heat. He bought it on Amazon.com for $41. He says he'll bring it to Cajun's barbeque to do comparison readings if you want. :)

Have you ever turned in a loaner that had been damaged during your use before? If so, would it be reasonable to look at things more closely?

First line said "Engine Oil Service".

Second line said "blah blah Inspection".

Third line mentioned "Seat cover".

Not MY operator error, smartypants!   :lol:

I only touch the signal stalk to make it go up & down when changing lanes or to pull it towards me to flash the high-beams or to turn on the high-beams.

A bit of effort is needed to actually move the doohickey that rotates around the signal stalk to change the lighting settings.

Unfortunately, I won't be attending Cajun's event due to prior obligations.  Thanks for the offer, though.

You know damned well (said in smartypants tone-of-voice) that the frickin' Prius they gave me as a loaner when the Field Engineer was checking Schultze was damaged while in my possession.

You also know that it was a HIT & RUN in the Walmart parking lot with no witnesses.

You also know that I called Frank as soon as CF opened the next morning and I never made an attempt to hide the damage.

I'm sure you're just teasing me, but I'm really cranky right now....

Yes, a bit of effort is required. The foglights won't work with the headlights off.

Are you saying they turned your headlights off intentionally, I mean, just mess with you and make you think they broke your car?

Did you happen to visit Schultze while he was there today & play tricks on me?!?

I'm saying that I haven't changed the light setting doohickey on the turn-signal stalk.

I am a HUGE customer service proponent.  Good for you for standing your ground.  I would let them have it!  Getting itemized list of test readings is a reasonable request and should be documented somewhere.

Meanwhile - the oil changes were just about $300 for my Mini at CF as well.

Why do you suppose you were singled out during loaner inspection? Do you return the loaner wearing leather or something! Ha!
 :shock:

Using the same thermometer, compare engine temperature readings of a few similar MINI's This should be definite proof of your problem to the service department. Please post your results.

P.S. Your Motoring Advisor should have explained your MINI's foglight operation a little better. Make sure to let him know about it. :D

Wow. Last quote I had for an oil change was $188.
That was 2 years ago though.


Here's a tip though. If you raise hell like I did about the customer survey and having to fill it out before getting your car they put the hoodoo mark on you and stop giving it to you altogether. In fact you don't even get the customer sat calls from MINI USA :lol:  :lol:


My "issues" with the CF Disservice Dept were once legendary. I'm sure they're glad my warranty ran out :twisted:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Whew me too.  :lol: :wink:

But it will start again with the Clubman.  8)

There's always Richmond. :wink:

or holding out for the Obvi :hugs:

Smart Car.
trade the Benz for a mini Benz 8)

HMMMMM... I wonder if the Smart dealer will take the Charger for an even steven trade?

Peace,
R.

P.S. - Yes, still trying to get rid of the damn pillion in my drive way - any takers?

Yep, I can see a Smart forum in the future.  :wink:

I'm in my twentieth year in the "car business" and I got into it because I like cars, not because I like unhappy people. But unhappiness happens from time to time, and I'm not averse to helping any customer through any of their concerns. But if you go into the situation with any pre-conceived notions that anyone is go to wrong you in any way you will likely have an opportunity bring your pre-conceived notions to fruition. Many people seem to take such joy in feeling wronged by a dealership service department and cannot see past the humanity that actually has some influence on the job that is done on their cars. I personally know Frank, Tony, Tamar, Tom, Jeff and the others that work on the MINIs there and I can tell you they do care about their work. I worked with them for months, and I got to know them well. And as a professional service director I would be proud to have any of them on my team. I guess what I am trying to say here is they have a job to do and we all need to be careful what we say here. We are all human, and we all have the same feelings. Be careful with any bashing of CF. They support our enthusiasm.

Slight hijack here, I'm used to $30 Chevy oil changes and $60 Infinity oil changes.  What in the world goes on for a $300 MINI oil change?

Have you seen where the filter is???  :shock:  Doesn't justify the $300 price tag though.

Shawn

From Checkerd Flag maintenance scheduling web site

Oil Service [MINI] $164.88

Change oil and filter while engine is at operating temperature, replace micro filters when required, check overall thickness of front and rear disc brake pads, clean brake pad contact points, grease wheel centering hubs, check parking brake acuation adjusting if necessary. Reset service indicator


Annual Oil Change [MINI] (indicator is NOT reset) $65.32

Change oil and filter while engine is at operating temperature, check tire pressure, and fluid levels. *NOTE: Service Indicator is NOT reset*

      
Oil Change [MINI] (indicator is NOT reset) $65.32  

Change oil and filter while engine is at operating temperature, check tire pressure, and fluid levels. Should be perfromed at least annually *NOTE: Service Indicator is NOT reset*


So for an additional $100 - how often do the wheel centering hubs need to be greased, the micro filters replaced, and wouldn't a brake check be part of the annual state safety inspection?

Is that just the cabin micro filter or are there more throughout the car?

Eric

Thank you for posting our service prices. Who has ever paid $300 out of pocket for an oil change anyway? The correct answer is, NOBODY!! If you did, scan and post your receipt.

It sure makes for interesting conversation though!

"I heard this" or "sombody told me that" is usually fiction.

Now for all of you who claim to have been cow tipping.............

Shyuh...Crazy talk like........the customer is always right.

It's INSANE I tell ya ....INSANE!!!!

Kinda like a Snipe Hunt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_hunt)

Does anyone know answers to above questions? August is the time for the annual inspection and oil change for one of our MINI's

You work there...you should be able to get a copy of the paperwork--they wouldn't make a copy for me & would only write down the total amount.

There was another lady next to me at the counter who was picking up her MINI, too...she looked at my paperwork when I exclaimed "$300 for an oil change?!" so I wasn't the *only one seeing things*!

There were three itemized lines with prices next to each one...I'd sure love to see a copy of it again...WHY won't they give us a copy for our records, anyhow?

And another thing...why are so many of the service & accessory prices set up with the *See Service Advisor for pricing* message?!

Oh wait...I know...could it be that they change prices frequently?

I love my MINI...I do NOT walk into the service dept. expecting to have a problem.  However, I absolutely DO notice issues that weren't there when I brought my car IN...and I absolutely WILL NOT remain silent when such things occur!

Again who has ever paid $300 OUT OF POCKET for an oil change?

Resetting the service indicator takes all of about 10 seconds.

Don  :D

$300??  Not even on the Ducati, and Ducati dealer service is legalized sodomy..

On the plus side, Ducati has less than 5% market penetration in the U.S.

On the negative side, penetration, however slight, is still considered sodomy. Consent is not an excuse, you will be punished :shock:

:pmsl:

And this coming from a sales man.......  :lol:  :pmsl:  :smt064

No dog in this fight with CF, BUT at Infinity, an oil service is $65 and includes, checking air in tires, fluids through out, washing the car and getting some sort of grease on your seats.  For $35 they change the oil and filter and send you on your way.  Maybe CF has a oil change and an oil service.  I would think the customer needs to ask some questions before hand rather than afterwards, I surely will after reading this posting.  

Can an owner reset the service computer themselves?

see this post on resetting...
http://www.hrmini.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=1864

Seriously, I want to thank all of you for making me feel better.  I thought that maybe our experience at CF was me, blowing things out of proportion.  Our baby didn't get looked at on the day it had a scheduled appointment; we were "misled" on an o2 problem; when the instrument cluster was replaced, they did not check to ensure the programming was setup again and the passenger door was scratched in the lot.  So, instead of trying to haul gold bricks with the top down, our MINI is back in the service bay getting repaired, again. sniff, sniff.

I'll be sure to login here more often and check in with you guys.  Thanks again!

Thank you and Johan both.  :D

wow what a nice friendly post about me erica it's good to hear that you love the service that you get when you bring your car into cf. it's ok tho i'm not mad i'll get over it. :022:.....

tony... service tech.

Tony - doesn't look like anyone is pped at you. It looks like the front desk is the issue here. Pricing is also not your venu so there can't be anything to complain to you about - other than you are a CF employee. I used to work for Verizon till I was fired for missing time due to my heart issue. The customers always blasted me because someone else didn't do thier job. But I always looked at it like "They aren't yelling at me , just Verizon as a whole" and tried to do the best with what I could help them with. I didn't set pricing either , all I could do was to send them to that department. Sorry but there is nothing I could do, same for you Tony. Don't worry.

but you see the differnace between verison and cf is that when someone doesn;t like the amount of porters inspecintg a loaner or a car get damaged on the lot or what ever the case may be we understand that your not the happy to be at cf in the 1st place and try to do our best to get your mini fix and back to you in the best way and when your not happy you got to that lil survey and give a bad report which cost me alot of $ since i get a bonus off of keeping you happy.    so anyways if ya got an issue with something before you kill us on the survey let cf fix it for you cuz it is costing all the techs alot of cash and when that whole no cash thing happens people tend to hurry to make up for it and will start to miss thing and i don't wanna see you have to come back cuz i forgot to do something. idk they way they have it set up is stupid really basicly unless it's all 5 it get not bonus from the surveys and marking 4 because we have no parts(fixed right the 1st time) yeah no cash for me there either they blame the tech for damn near everthing on the surveys.as far as the bonus goes. so for the long winded 50 thousandth time try not to kill us on the surveys it cost me $.  thanks

Tony , if you're getting a pay cut because of someone elses fault on the survey that is CF's fault. You can't expect a customer who feels wronged to hold back. That would make the system a purely non functioning system. All the customer would be doing, in the case of something being wrong, is compounding the error and the system would never get fixed. The system will never really be fixed because the dealer always wants a 5 to get thier extra $$. If I get good service it will be a 5, but to give a 5 where not warranted is not going to happen either.  If the Front desk person is having a bad day because her dog crapped on the new rug at home and gives really bad service that day at work you can not expect the customer to give a good mark in the system. Bad practice by CF (probably comes from BMW) to get extra $$ , but don't blame the customer for short $$ in your paycheck because of a policy issue at CF.

 That's a pretty loaded question around these parts......... :066:

Boy....Can that question open up a can of worms.  My car has been there 4 or 5 times for  rattles in the windows and the top.  When I first took the car in, it rattled only on the right.  The car would sound fixed, so i gave you guys 5 stars...Cha Ching.... About a week later they came back.  It takes me a while to get it back, cause I don't always have time to just drop by and drop it off.  I also thought maybe it was due to weather.  Maybe it rattled more when it was cold than hot.  So I bring it in the second time and once again, I drive it off the lot and it sounds great.  5 stars.... Cha ching more money.  After a week rattles come back, but now they are on the drivers side.  bring it in, you guys fix it and it sounds great...5 stars...mo' money...cha ching.  brought it in again and this time i refused to give 5 stars.  This time I waited about a week before I answered the surveys.   Yes the car still rattles... So Frank tells me convertibles do that.  That's great.  How come it didn't rattle on the driver's side the 1st year i owned the car.  How come you guys fix it, but a week or two later it comes back.  How come other convertibles don't have the noise?  So now I am learning to deal with it.  I would love to know what it would be like for you guys at CF if you had competition in the area.  my 3 year warrenty is almost up, so after that, not sure what i will do.  Some people have had great service and some have not.  I felt everyone has always been nice and courtious, but that doesn't resolve the issues.  As for CF docking your salary, that is a CF issue like already mentioned.  The survey is too general in my opinion.  I don't feel like it has the ability to help you guys improve if needed.  Again, too general.  Plus if a lot of owners tell you not to wash the car, doesn't that send up a red flag that there might be issues with the car washing techniques they use there?  just a thought.  A great service that people don't use...mmmm wonder why??? :102:

I think the people care and do try.  They have been very sincere, atleast to me.  I just have one of those nagging issues.  It could be more the way the convertible is made versus the people fixing them.  But other people don't have my problem, so I believe it should be fixible. 

Well we dropped Red off this morning and got an "S" loaner...  white one! so if you see two people in a car trying to figure out whats going on that would be me & amanda.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/1606819901_2851449303.jpg)

Hey everyone!  So, we got Red back!! WOOHOO!.  I'll let Tim post pictures and give you technical jargon, but I just have to say I'm happy w/ C.F.!  Got the car in LESS time then originally stated, Frank did a wonderful job of keeping in touch w/ us and keeping us posted on her, and we were 100% satisfied w/ the work.  Rims are awesome, roof rack rocks (sorry for the alliteration), and Ipod hook up is more then we thought it would be, and placed perfectly.  Thanks to Frank and C.F. (Tony, not sure if you worked on Red at all, but THANK YOU TOO!!!!!!) for a job well done!  :038:  :038:  :038:

yep i ended up getting your mini. it shoulda been done 1 day sooner but stupid shop politics got int the way and the other tech who pulled it up didn't wanna work on it since i had previously(sucks to be him). so anyways all done good to go sry about the 2nd bike rack issue. see ya

and the who survey thing. i think i may have been a bit unclear. if me or frank mess up then we deserve a bad survey. but if the issue is something like what erica post just being upset about 2 5$ an hour people instpecting a loaner car or what not give me a break if i payed you 5$ an hour you wouldn't care about your job that much and really no matter what dealer you go to if they have people to clean your car or  move it around. they will most likely give you some flack due to the crappy conditions of thier working enviroment.think of it as going thru the drive thru at mcdonalds. u really gonna expect great service from the 5$ and hour cashier on the other end of the old broken down intercom. more like lucky if your food is hot and correct.

I absolutely do NOT give a damn if CF only pays the porters $5/hr. for jockeying/inspecting loaner vehicles.

My issue is the fact that damage has been done to my MINI on SEVERAL occasions while in the guardianship of CF...damage that should NEVER have occurred!  It seems to me that CF is trying to "turn the table" by micro-inspecting a loaner that I use in the hope that damage is discovered which would be billed back to me.  (Think of it as a passive way of recouping costs expended for repairing the damage done to my MINI.)

well  i'm sorry you feel that way if anything you should be happy that they are doing that i've seen many a customer come in and have the porters walk around the car very fast and miss alot but luckly the customer noticed a few knicks and scratches on the car it's there for to protect both parties if there was a knick on your car that was there before and we missed it on the walk around, quite a few people who knew about it blamed the dealership and got a free repair so it's not a thing you should be upset about but a rejoicement about the protection in place for you as the customer to make sure any damage on the loaner vehicle before you leave with it is not blamed on you

I can't stop shaking my head as I try to collect my thoughts on the commentary supplied on this thread. I understand that very few of the posters on this thread work in the car business. And perhaps my response to the those that don't is just as empassioned as their comments regarding treatment of their pride and joy. But you must know this-

There is only one MINI dealer in the area. Period.

My suggestion, as a dealership employee and a former national car club director who has coordinated sponsorship from major car companies who have choices where to spend their money ( as in "no" is the choice you don't want to hear), is this-

have a problem with a busines entity, take it up with them directly. It's the right thing to do. And in CFs case, the General Manager is both fair and willing to make that which is wrong right again.

Publish it, on the other hand, and you endanger the positive relationship of others who have no complaint with a business entity as that busines may fear any move they make will continue to be held up for public scrutiny.

This is a private matter, and should have remained so a long time ago.

Just my two cents. Ok, maybe three.

Mark

Thanks Mark for the reply, you make a very good point about this matter.

As someone who is not a customer or employee of the dealership I see good points from both sides.  As someone who is a middleman between insurance companies and patients I do know that things happen beyond your control, but being the face the customer sees in the retail world you have to be able to handle the anger of the customer. 

The topic that does seem to start the customer off is the survey sheets that I have read/heard many complaints about on many threads.  It seems that it is so important for the employees to get customers to give only superior ratings they will say or do anything which puts the customer on the defensive because they are not allowed to express any displeasure they may have. In turn they go to their local forum and speak their minds there instead. 

Something I think managers need to get across to the Company owner(s) that the importance of the survey is not so much ratings,  but allowing people to express themselves truthfully so a trend can be spotted or fixed before it gets out of hand.

I've ignored this because I see little value in the thread in general but Mark's commentary kinda forced my hand.
You trotted out the "There's only 1 MINI Dealership" club CF so frequently uses to intimidate people. The arrogant, in my view, "You don't understand the car business" line is just plain insulting. Is car customer service different than any other business? No. A 3 year old knows when they're being treated badly. It's not rocket science. If people feel bad are they supposed to go " Oh, well it's just because I don't understand the ultra-mysterious car business so I'll have to let it go. Must be me."
My wife listened to 5 years of me bitchin about CF.
I only once left the dealership without an issue.....once. You can look up my service history Mark. That is A LOT of trips to the dealership. That was when Phillipe actually let me install my own wiper blades because they couldn't get a tech to install them and I had driven the 35 miles, one way, to the old dealership to get them.

Jim Hubert is(was?) a waste of skin. He got so tired of me he refused to talk to me. Told me, and I quote; " You can always drive to Richmond if you don't like our service". That's customer service for you.
 Someone also made sure I stopped receiving my calls from MINIUSA for warranty work done on my car. Because? dun dun dunnnnnn I gave them bad writeups EVERY visit. They mysteriously stopped for 4 years. I even asked about it. Reply " Gee Mr Obehave, you sure should be getting them???"

I currently have 2 issues with my car. Passenger airbag light stays on. There is no commercially available reset tool. So I'll live with it until I can get to Richmond.
My passenger side door lock relay has died. This was repaired under warranty so I could probably force the issue and get this warranted as well. That would mean dealing with the obfuscation and BS at CF. Only if I find I have no other recourse but I'll most probably replace it myself.

Loyalty is admirable. Myopic, presumptive and, in my opinion, borderline arrogant responses do little to further your cause.

We've both said our piece and I'd like it to end there.

I think everyone has a good point to bring to the table as well as some that others may disagree with. I tend to not conform to ones opinion. I tend to make my own in my own experiences. I think expressing your thoughts and feelings are important no matter the situation so, taking the time to get out your frustration and anger at something/one or anything is something that you should do. If erica needed to express it in this manner, point well taken. I understand that she does not have warm fuzzy's about CF's service or even sales departments, but in hope's that she feels better I don't mind that she expressed her unhappiness on here. As for everyone else in thoughts on Customer satisfaction. Well, you have the right to express feelings how you felt about our sales department or service department. From the inside looking out I have gone almost flawless with my customers being extremely happy, but I feel that it is not because I pressed them of the importance on customer satisfaction. I think it was because they turely felt that they were genuinly happy with there MINI and experience here at CF. That is how it should be. I think if your happy be happy, if you unhappy then be unhappy until you are able to get right out of a wrong situation. I mean NOT to start anything by my post on here. I just simply want everyone to understand that I here ya, and thoughts and opinions do not go unheard! I feel for whoever has had an unhappy experience, at the same time, I hope the people that have not had the experience of our service to make your own judgement and how you are treated, but be honoest with us about your experience. Customer service does not get better until you can figure out what your doing wrong to fix it. I know what I need to work on. I am not perfect in any aspect of my life. I just hope that the people out there understand that perfection takes time and in most cases never happens!  I wish everyone well with there MINI. I hope that no matter where your MINI takes you that you satisfaction is top notch! 

Happy Motoring.

Very nice reply Nathan.  Working any profession dealing with customers is a really rewarding job because of the many people you meet. :icon_biggrin:  There will always be complaints some reasonable some not, but all should be taken seriously.  Your mature outlook on reality makes you a wonderful addition to the sales department I'm sure.  Keep up the good work and remember when the time comes for a new Mini to find a home, I'm sure many will come to you. :023:

I've decided to employ a new tactic

I simply refuse to complete the survey.  As MINI appears to have perverted the reason surveys were first implemented under the tenants of TQM there is little reason for me to complete it.

Rather than using customer feedback as a method to improve customer service, MINI has aligned the survey with employee $ resulting in employee backlash at a customer who gives less than perfect, not simply good but PERFECT feedback.

Case in point, has anyone ever gotten a call from a manager from ANY MINI dealership asking what they can do to raise your low survey marks?

As compared to: how many of us feel pressure to give "all 5s" when you get the call......or have it shoved in your face b4 you even see your car returned?

MINI called me 6 days a week for 6 weeks......ain't caller ID neat?  Send me a letter and ask me why I didn't respond why don'tcha?

MAYBE if corporate begins to see a dealership with a low survey response rate they will begin to ask questions.

Old TQM story, at a corporate meeting for a fast food franchise they gleefully announced that not a SINGLE customer complaint card had been rec'd during the previous year.  A question from the floor asked, "are we that good?  Or do the customers just think we don't give a damn?"

Next year's goal was to have 100,000 customer feedback cards ....

OTOH - grapevine says a lot of CF people we plankowners saw for a few years are 'moving on' ..... is this an effort to clean up there act?  I dunno....I don't go there anymore.